Rules of Attraction
by newcX0X0
Summary: AU/AH: Blue eyes, dirty-blonde curls and accents. They were the root of all evil. Caroline Forbes doesn't just think that, she knows it…
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing.

 **Summary:** AU/AH: Blue eyes, dirty-blonde curls and accents. They were the root of all evil. Caroline Forbes doesn't just think that, she knows it…

 **The Rules of Attraction**

 **Prologue**

 **Senior Year**

 **June 3** **rd** **2017**

This wasn't the first time they'd been in a position like this. Two bodies trapped in a dark, closed and confined space with barely enough room to breathe. They'd been in closets bigger, smaller and equal to the one that they were in now, but this time it felt different. The air seemed thicker, more tense, than it had ever been before.

A muffled _bang_ from somewhere just outside the closet door caused her to shift slightly against him and his mind went instantly blank to the feeling of warm curves against hot skin.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," she murmured. "It's only a game." Her hand moved through the darkness and rested lightly on his chest. "Klaus?"

"It's not that," he growled out angrily. "It's _her_. This is so typical, putting me in a closet with another girl. Fucking classic Hayley Marshall."

She nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her through the darkness. "I think she's onto us," she whispered and Klaus' mind wandered once again as the warmth of her breath caressed his collar bone. "The jig is up."

His jaw ticked as the friction of her nails scratched his chest through the cotton of his t-shirt and he attempted to suppress his animal urges to screw her right then and there. She was Caroline Forbes after all. She was hot, popular and willing, right?

Even in the darkness he could sense her mouth hovering inches away from his and he let out a vexed sigh. "Caroline…"

"We only have six minutes left of this heaven, Klaus," her brow arched slightly. "Do you really want to spend it talking about your _girlfriend_?"

"She's _not_ my girlfriend," he frowned, attempting to catch her gaze as he began to adjust to the lack of light.

Her eyes, despite the darkness, were a sharp, feline blue. Observant. Smart. Confident. But there was a glint of playful danger that he'd seen so many times before and _fuck_ if it wasn't a turn on. "Besides, I thought you were friends," he added in an effort to try and regain control of the situation.

"We have _never_ been friends," Caroline hissed. "She tried to steal my boyfriend."

His eyes narrowed. "So, that's what this is about then? You want revenge."

"Revenge has never been part of the agenda and you know it."

She took a step closer and his body immediately reacted to the plaint warmth of hers.

"Caroline-" he clenched his jaw as her hand began to slide down the front of his shirt, "We shouldn't."

"Says who? It's not like anyone would hold it against us. It was _Hayley's_ idea." She paused and a beat of silence lingered between them. "How long has it been since you and I…" She cut herself off and let the question hang in the air to answer itself.

She was so close now that Klaus could practically feel the heat radiating off her. She was scattered and curvy and smelt of strawberries and tequila, and in any other circumstances he would be enjoying this, but he was relatively sober and tried to remind himself that it was wrong. Caroline was with Tyler and he had… Well, he had whatever it was with Hayley. Not that that had stopped the brunette from shoving the both of them into the closet they were in now and it certainly hadn't stopped her from trying to fuck Tyler a few months back.

"You sure you want to go down this road again?" his lips quirked. "I thought you wanted to go on the straight and narrow. You know, let Tyler _cure_ you," he donned a sarcastic smile. "You're straying a bit off course."

"As if I would ever _stray off course_ with you," she scoffed, and again, despite his dour mood, he smirked at her bluntness which he'd always found oddly sexy.

"And yet," his face took on an expression of mock-bewilderment, "you're not exactly backing up."

He felt her shift and try to move back, but his hands instinctively slid down the curve of her waist and grip her hips, keeping her pressed up against him.

She shot him a dry glance through the darkness. "Careful, Klaus, your envy's really starting to show."

He scoffed at the ridiculous idea of being jealous of Tyler. "You'd like that wouldn't you, love. It's too bad you seem to have forgotten that I've been there, done that." His eyes, suddenly unable to resist, dropped to her mouth. "If I really wanted it I'd take it."

Fire ignited behind her lashes and burned so ferociously through the darkness that he could feel her gaze rather than see it. He'd sparked something inside of her that hadn't been triggered in a long time. It'd been ages since they'd played this game and he was almost not sure he knew what to do now because it felt like forever since he'd last been this close to her.

"You're a dick," she snapped and he snorted at the vain attempt at an insult.

"What do you want, Caroline?" His grip on her waist tightened.

"What I _want_ -," her eyes blazed as she got on her tiptoes and rested her palms on his chest causing her breath to dance along his jaw, "-is for you to let _fucking_ go."

Rolling his eyes, Klaus dropped his arms to his sides. "How long are you going to fuck with me like this, huh? Because you know I'm all for fun and games but this one's getting kinda' old."

"What if I don't want to play anymore?" she muttered and Klaus frowned at the sudden sincerity of her tone. He hated that he couldn't see her face clearly. Hated that he couldn't see her expression. _Hated_ that he couldn't read her body language so that he'd know what to do next. "I'm going to go find Tyler."

He felt her begin to turn away from him and he gritted his teeth at the mention of that prick's name. "You've been avoiding me for weeks," he called her up on their recent issue. He was grasping at straws and it was obvious. Why couldn't she see what to him was so clear? "I know he doesn't do it for you, love," he drawled, lips twitching as he tried to lighten the mood. "At least, not the way I do."

"Don't," she snapped, shaking her head.

Frustrated he ran a hand through his hair. "You know where I stand, Caroline. Stop leaving me hanging. _What_ do you want?" He asked again, his voice inadvertently beginning to rise.

"I don't know." Her hitched breath rippled through the darkness, her thoughts snagging as the topic of conversation hit a little too close to home.

She held his gaze for an extended beat, silence ringing in the air around them, and for a second, he thought he might've actually struck something within her. But the hope vanished when her eyes turned steely, countenance prickly. And just like that her guard was back. "Why do you even care? To you I'm nothing more than a good fuck. At least Tyler listens to me."

"He doesn't even _know_ you!" He yelled, his calm demeanour finally cracking. How could one girl be so frustrating? How could this one blonde tornado of a girl be so _infuriatingly_ blind? " _I_ know you. _I_ listen to you. Even when you don't utter a single, _fucking_ word I hear you. And do you know why? Do you have _any_ idea why?"

Her stare held his for a moment. And then, "Why?"

He snorted sardonically. "Are you seriously asking that?"

"Yes. _Why_?"

"Because I fucking _love_ you!"

 **-x-**

"Five… Four… Three… Two… One!" She glanced down at the timer on her iPhone before flinging open the closet door.

" _Because I fucking love you!_ "

Bonnie's jaw instantly dropped in shock as she looked at her blonde best friend.

Tyler walked into the room and wondered why everyone had suddenly gone so deadly quiet. His eyes followed the direction of everyone else's and they faltered on Caroline and Klaus facing off from the inside of a closet. Frowning he pushed past a guy from his history class to make his way closer to his girlfriend.

"Caroline?" he asked, causing everyone's attention to rapidly shift onto him.

Attempting to repress the sudden burst of emotion that had bloomed inside of her, Caroline's distant stare snapped into focus. Avoiding eye contact with Hayley, who was still standing there, eight or so feet away, Caroline began to move from the closet. She wasn't three steps out the door before Klaus was pulling her back towards him.

"Where are you going?" He asked in disbelief. "Did you not hear what I just told you?"

"Don't-" she began, a hitched breath interrupting her, and the smallness of her voice hit him like a train. "Please don't do this."

Klaus dropped her wrist and backed away dumbfounded.

"Care-" Bonnie was cut off as Caroline distractedly shook her head, her posture tense.

"Please take me home, Tyler," she asked in a jittery voice and took the hand Tyler held out for her.

Watching them leave Klaus fought the urge to run after them. How could she just walk away from him like that? Had the last few months meant absolutely nothing? He scowled at anyone looking in his direction and everyone quickly turned their faces to engage themselves in other matters.

"Did you ever care about me at all?" Hayley approached him, a false mask of devastation adorning her face, and strangely enough he felt cold.

Not one bit of regret plagued him when he said, "Trust me, Hayley, we were shoved into that closet long before tonight."

He could sense Hayley still looking at him but his own eyes were glued to the door through which Caroline and Tyler had just left. Surely she didn't love him. She'd be back any second, right?

Everyone started to leave the room and he felt Bonnie attempt to capture his gaze, concern flooding her own, but he merely shook his head in response.

"How could you do this to me?" Hayley whined. "I thought we were good now!"

The sound of her voice cracking didn't hurt him in the least. It was all a façade.

"We're not even together!" He yelled, his anger at the situation beginning to erupt within him. "And don't pretend like you haven't been looking for any opportunity to fuck Tyler these past few months. How can you stand there and look so surprised?"

He brushed past her and went straight for the front door. On his way he heard her dissolve into fake sobs but he didn't turn. They'd all made their choices nearly two years ago.

It was time they finally started dealing with the consequences…

 **A/N:** To be continued.


	2. Dirty Rotten Scandals

**Chapter 1 - Dirty Rotten Scandals**

 **Junior Year**

 **September 3** **rd** **, 2015**

Everyone who was _anyone_ knew to attend the back-to-school party at The Falls.

Laughter and chatter filled the air, fires were lit and crackling away, beers were being drunk, and spilt (depending on how drunk you were), and discussions on who would be hosting the after party had already begun. Call it tradition if you want, and this year was no different.

The air was bitter as Caroline got out of Katherine's black Mercedes and she clumsily pulled her jacket tighter around herself.

It'd only just gone eight but she was already smashed. That's what half a bottle of tequila would do to you, she thought as she took another swig before letting her arm fall loosely to her side, the clear liquid swishing around on the inside of the bottle. After the day she'd had, sinking into a drunken haze seemed like a perfectly rational decision.

Katherine slammed her car door behind her, grimacing as she felt her heels begin to sink into the ground beneath. If she could be anywhere or here she'd choose anywhere. Every time.

"I don't see why we couldn't have just stayed at mine and got high," she huffed, hand wafting through the air to hit some imaginary fly in order to emphasise her point. "Little Gilbert's stuff is surprisingly good."

"Because-" Caroline slurred, stumbling slightly as they began to make their way closer to the bonfire. "- It's fun! _And_ I've just been named the new cheer captain."

Her mom would be so proud. That is, if her mom were ever home to receive the news… Or even cared. Sure, she gets that being a single, working mom must be crazy hard but was wishing to not be made to feel like an unwanted burden too much to ask? She thought not.

Taking another swig of tequila, she pushed the thought aside. She wasn't about to let her issues with her mom ruin her night. "We've got celebrating to do!" She added, grimacing as the liquid burned down the back of her throat.

Katherine snorted, grabbing the bottle of Patron from her blonde friend's loose grip and unscrewed the top. "You should've come in your uniform," she smirked before taking a sip. "That would've turned some serious fucking heads."

Caroline's mouth quirked as she took the bottle back. "You should've come naked. I'm sure more people would recognise you if you had."

Smirking, the brunette proceeded to throw a distasteful glance around the party and shivered as a gust of wind slid up her top. "I'm going to get a drink." Her eyes landed on a keg and she began to move towards it, tossing a mane of brunette curls over her shoulder. "See you later, Care."

Spotting Stefan stood by one of the bonfires, Caroline made her way over. "Hey, Handsome," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. "Fancy taking a trip down to The Falls with me?"

"Caroline," his mouth quirked as he turned to face her. "How many times? You and me. It's never gonna happen."

"You break my heart, Salvatore," she responded sarcastically, pressing a hand to her chest in mock horror.

Tilting his head back in laughter he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Congratulations by the way." When she shot him a confused look he continued, "on being made head cheerleader. I'm hoping this means you'll spend less time lounging around my house begging me to run through cheer routines with you when Bonnie and Elena aren't available."

Caroline broke into an over-bright, elfin smile that screamed of annoying little sister. "You're loss. Speaking of, where are my other two best friends?"

He threw a loose hand out to gesture around the party, "They're somewhere. Apparently, Bonnie's trying to prove to Elena she's psychic or something."

Caroline felt a prickle of amusement at Bonnie's tell-tale drunken ' _I swear I'm a psychic, I predict things all the time'_ ramblings.

Which reminded her, she, herself, wasn't nearly drunk enough. Right now, she wanted to get blackout, forget-your-own name drunk and just not give a fuck. She wanted nothing more than to forget that earlier she'd come home to an empty house with the revelation that maybe her parents really just didn't care coursing through her in an unrelenting force. So, she took another sip. And then another. And then another.

"Stefan!"

Caroline's eyes narrowed as a deep voice, despite the roar of chatter and laughter, filtered into her ears, the English drawl heavy and unmistakable.

Scanning the throng of people around the bonfire, her gaze faltered on the source of her sudden irritation.

Klaus Mikaelson, in all his arrogant demeanour, swaggered over to them, causing Caroline to frown. Everything from the confident, upward tilt of his crimson lips down to his scruffy black boots that he wore everyday sent a pang of annoyance shooting through her, and she rolled her eyes when he stopped a foot or so away without once glancing over at her.

"We're thinking of sparking one up," he pulled a joint out of the back pocket of his jeans and gestured towards a group of people waiting a bit away. "You up for it, mate?" he asked Stefan, still completely blanking her.

Caroline's stare grew instantly annoyed at his blatant disregard of the fact he'd interrupted them and she couldn't help herself when she said, "Uh, we were actually in the middle of a conversation, Mikaelson, but it's really nice to see you've not ended up in a cell yet tonight."

His eyes finally met hers and he tilted his head to the side, a smug quality entering his voice. "I heard you got head cheerleader. I'm glad you've finally received some recognition for all the time you spend _giving_ head."

Her eyes fell into slits, "Can you go steal another car or something?" She paused to take a swig from the bottle, "It's undeniable that orange really is your colour."

He stared her down evenly. "How is your mum recently? Is she missing me as much as I'm missing her?"

"You know what, Klaus," Stefan swooped in to direct Caroline's bubbling aggression onto him, "I think I'm alright on the beer." He gave his bottle a loose wave.

As swiftly as the tension had built it dissipated as Klaus offered him a breezy shrug. "Fair enough. See you at the after party, mate." And with that he turned back towards the still waiting group.

"I hate how you're friends with him," Caroline said, her stare still fixed on his leather-clad back.

Chuckling, Stefan took a sip of his beer, "He's really not that bad." Caroline scoffed. "Come on, let's go find Elena and Bonnie."

Nodding, Caroline looked at her now empty bottle of tequila. "Ok, but first I need another drink."

 **-x-**

He could feel the blood pumping in his ears and in his drunken haze he could practically see the beat of the music reverberating around his living room. A cheer erupted from his left and he turned to look – Matt Donovan was about to beat the record for who could do the longest keg stand.

"I think the lime is somewhere in my shirt," April Young, whom he'd just done a body shot off, giggled from her position lying on the kitchen counter.

"I'll get it later," he slurred and, stumbling slightly, moved across the kitchen to grab the bottle of vodka he'd left earlier.

Klaus looked around the party. He was pretty sure Rebekah and Kol were around somewhere but he hadn't seen them in at least an hour. His eyes landed on a certain blonde who was commanding centre stage in the living room, cup of whatever in hand. His gaze flitted down her frame and lingered on her hips which were swaying perfectly in time to the beat of the music. Just as he was about to go over and get some sort of rise out of her someone called his name, distracting him from his thoughts. Looking over he saw a guy from the football team gesturing to him.

"Flaming shots?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, taking another swig of vodka as he headed over.

The next thirty minutes passed in a blur and it was almost half midnight when Klaus obliviously slumped down onto a sofa next to Caroline. His night wasn't exactly going as planned and nothing particularly entertaining was happening. Right now, all he felt was both irritated and horny and he wondered if he should text Hayley…

A hiccup sounded from the blonde next to him and was quickly followed by a monotonous, "I'm drunk."

He answered with an equally detached, "I'm bored."

For a second they both went back to their drinks before Caroline looked up at him, her expression un-readable, and suddenly he was acutely aware of how close they were to each other. Their bodies were pressed together on the tiny sofa, her naked thigh hot against his denim-clad one.

In a luxuriating once-over, he dragged his gaze over her and, although he blamed it on the alcohol, he couldn't help but wonder why they'd never got together before. They were both single after all…

He watched as she took another sip from her plastic cup and then as she slowly began to stand up.

"Come on," she muttered and made her way to the stairs.

There wasn't even a second's hesitation before he followed.

They hadn't even made it to his room before her mouth was on his in a rush of heat, hands sliding around his neck to pull him into her.

Breaking apart in his doorway he paused, noting the playful glint in her eyes, but there was a flare of something else too. However, before he could place it, her finger tips tugged at the curls at the back of his head and the thought was swiftly replaced by the sensation of the hot, hungry bite of her lips against his.

In his intoxicated state, he acted on impulse, the fog of alcohol hindering his ability to follow what was happening. All he knew was that, some unidentified amount of time later, he had her backed against his bedroom wall, hoisted up by her thighs. He began to walk backwards towards his bed, her legs wrapped around him and he kicked his door shut behind them. Within seconds they were a pile of limbs on the bed. Her head lolled back as he began kissing a hot trail down the column of her throat and the friction of her hips against the hardened length of him sharpened his breath into blades. In one hungry tug, he pulled her top over her head before her lips re-captured his mouth and all the while he couldn't help thinking this was the perfect drunken hook up. Then he remembered the tripod camera Elijah had given him for Christmas a few years ago.

Pushing up off the bed he turned and rummaged through his wardrobe in search of the camera. Hastily grabbing it from his top shelf he moved to the end of the bed, his smirk Cheshire.

"What are you doing?" she asked, moving up onto her elbows from her position on the bed.

"Just having a little fun. Don't worry about it, Caroline."

Her gaze was flat and he prepared himself for dismantling the camera. He'd been so sure that she'd ask him to take it down that when she murmured "Just make sure you delete it," as he kissed between the swell of her breasts, he almost sat up and asked her to repeat herself.

After a thrumming beat, his alcohol infused brain finally conjured up a response. "Don't worry. Nobody will ever know." And with that, his mind wandered once again as her fingers dug into the collar of his shirt, her lips pliant and spiced with tequila. Long-nailed fingers dragged down his ribs as she finally freed him from the constraints of his shirt and as he swallowed a raspy moan he completely forgot where they were, what they were doing, and why this was probably an incredibly stupid idea.

But then again, he was with a hot and willing Caroline Forbes.

What guy could possibly say no to that?

 **-x-**

In all honesty, Klaus wasn't surprised when he woke up in the middle of the night alone. He vaguely remembered Kol shaking him back into consciousness and informing him that everyone was gone. Begrudgingly sitting up on the bed, he rubbed his hands over his face and looked around in a daze before spotting a pink bra poking out from underneath the bed.

Kol followed his line of sight and grinned as he picked up the lacy garment. "Looks like someone had fun last night."

"Give me that," Klaus barked as he snatched it from Kol's hands, groaning as a sudden pang ricocheted around his skull. "Have you seen Caroline?" he asked, his demeanour giving nothing away.

Kol rose a brow, "You and Forbes? Ha, dad will _love_ that."

Klaus' frustrated gaze snapped ceiling-ward, "No, brother. I just want to make sure she doesn't run to her mum and tell her I was supplying alcohol to minors. I'm not exactly in the Sherriff's good books." The lie escaped his lips effortlessly. It was times like those when he could see he really was his mother's son.

His brother paused as he thought back to the last time he'd seen the blonde. "I saw her run out the door and grab Bonnie in a hurry," he offered the only information he had. "She looked kinda' upset though, I thought maybe – "

"Kol, please. Spare me the fucking gossip, my head is pounding," Klaus fell back onto the bed and he cast a lazy hand behind him for a pillow and smothered it over his face, taking comfort in the encasing darkness.

"Klaus, you are my _hero_!"

Scowling from underneath the pillow he groaned as he sat up once more. Upon seeing Kol reaching over to replay the footage he had just recorded, however, he was on his feet in mere seconds. Shoving Kol towards his door he hastily dismantled the tripod and scoured the room for any other traces of Caroline. There were none.

"Ah, come on, what's the issue?"

"Can't you go piss off Rebekah?"

Kol's jaw set for a moment. Then he waggled his eyebrows at Klaus, "You know, that's not your worst ever idea, brother."

How ironic.

And with that he was gone.

Flopping back onto the bed Klaus tried to ignore the low flutter of guilt which was beginning to course through him. He hadn't done anything wrong. They were both single and Caroline had been willing. No one had done anything they didn't want to do.

 _"She looked kinda' upset though…"_

He rubbed his eyes before spotting his phone on the bedside table and reached over for it. Technically he was still drunk and he blamed the influence of alcohol when he found himself contemplating whether or not it would be a good idea to call her now or tomorrow. Either that or they could chalk it up to a meaningless one-night-stand. He'd have no qualms doing that. Nevertheless, despite the copious amount of alcohol he'd consumed earlier it hadn't been enough to erase the memory of how she'd felt in his hands or when she'd done that thing with her mouth…

Closing his eyes, he heard Rebekah shouting at Kol to get out of her room from the other side of the house. And with that, he drifted back to sleep.

 **-x-**

To say Katherine was surprised when she'd received a phone call from Bonnie Bennett, of all people, would have been the understatement of her entire year. It was certainly fair to say that since she'd moved to Mystic Falls, herself and the petite cheerleader hadn't exactly seen eye to eye. To give the girl some credit, Katherine thought as she made her way into the Mystic Grill, it had sounded like she'd been her last port of call. Apparently, Caroline was smashed and her mom, the Sheriff, didn't believe in underage drinking and Bonnie's Grams had the same disapproving views. Matt had gone to the hospital as Vicki had had a bad trip and had been rambling about seeing _vampires_ in the woods, or something along those lines, and Stefan and Elena had headed home together ages ago. So, Bonnie had ended up ringing Katherine to see if Caroline could crash at hers.

Letting the door to the Grill swing shut behind her, Katherine easily spotted the two sat at a table, the blonde's head in her hands.

"Are you sober yet?" she heard the darker-haired girl ask, her expression soft and her voice laced with patience.

Caroline raised her head and blinked as if to see whether it would stop the room from spinning. When it didn't, she shook her head and responded with a singular, "Nope."

"It's fine, Bon," Katherine cut in, causing both heads to shoot in her direction, one a few seconds later than the other. "She can stay at mine."

Bonnie nodded and stood up, glancing at Caroline one last time. "Thanks for doing this, Katherine. I couldn't think of anyone else who…" Bonnie paused awkwardly, and Katherine's lips quirked as the girl shifted uncomfortably in front of her.

"Who doesn't even have a _Grams_ that'll give a shit," she finished for the smaller girl. "You can say it, Bon Bon."

The other girl's mouth formed a flat line, unsure of what was more weird – Katherine's sudden admission about her family life or the fact that she was being relatively tolerable. "Right, well… I've gotta get home, Grams will go crazy if she wakes up and I'm not there. I'll see you Monday, Care," she waved a loose hand and headed towards the exit.

Katherine dropped into the now empty seat opposite Caroline and fixed her stare onto the blonde's face. When Caroline averted her own gaze, Katherine automatically sensed that something must have happened. She'd seen her friend drunk countless times before, but this… Well, this was different. However, instead of voicing her thoughts, she sat back in her seat and stretched her legs out underneath the table. Not many people in Mystic Falls got their unconventional friendship but the two shared a deep mutual understanding of each other. Something which proved to be incredibly useful in times like these when the majority of other people would pursue the persistent 'what's wrong?' angle. If Caroline wasn't ready to share what had happened then Katherine wasn't going to push her.

It was nearing on half two when the manager said they had to leave and Caroline still hadn't said a word. Once they were in Katherine's car and on the road the brunette finally broke the silence.

"You can sleep in one of the spare rooms," she paused to shrug, "Whichever."

When Caroline merely continued to stare out the window that's when Katherine decided enough was enough. She'd tried patience but that hadn't worked so she figured some tough love might be a better alternative.

"Look, Care, if you're gonna be a bitch-"

"I slept with Klaus."

Katherine's stare sharpened slightly and she eyed the blonde next to her in the passenger seat looking for some sort of reaction, but her face remained stony. She hadn't spent long in Mystic Falls but she'd seen enough to know Caroline sought nothing more than her mom's approval and she was pretty sure sleeping with the resident bad boy (whose parents also operated in very grey alleyways of life when it came to the law) wasn't the best way to go about achieving that. It was like her friend had stumbled into her very own Romeo and Juliet-esque tragedy, just with less death and more sex. But, of course, everyone knew that the notion of star-crossed lovers was utter bullshit.

Keeping one eye on the road ahead, Katherine reached over and opened the glove compartment in front of Caroline. She was pretty sure she still had some of her dad's Single Malt whiskey which she'd taken months ago. When she felt the cool, glass bottle she wrapped her fingers around it and silently passed it to Caroline.

"You can sleep in my room if you want," she offered nonchalantly, keeping her stare fixed on the road in front.

In her rear-view mirror, she saw Caroline's lips take on a small smile before nodding slowly. When she heard the top of the whiskey being unscrewed, she turned her head to look at the blonde.

"You better enjoy that," she said, lips quirking in the corners, "it was over a hundred dollars."

 **-x-**

 ** _September 5_** ** _th_** ** _, 2015_**

High school can be so predictable, Klaus thought as he strolled down the familiar halls of Mystic Falls High with his usual air of self-assured confidence. To his left a gaggle of freshmen girls giggled and looked away from him whilst on the right a few guys from the football team nodded their heads. Everyone knew him and everyone loved him – it was just the way things operated.

But, today, things were different. His trademark smirk that wanted to pull up in its usual spot fell flat. It'd been almost 72 hours since he'd had sex with Caroline Forbes. Almost 72 hours for him to consider watching the tape he'd recorded the other night, only to mull over why he didn't have the courage to actually go through with it. Somehow, he was afraid that watching the tape might make him realise things he didn't want to know.

Sure, he was a hot-blooded 16-year-old male and he was positive it would be incredibly arousing to watch himself and Caroline, the hottest girl in Mystic Falls High. But, contrary to popular belief, he wasn't always a totally insensitive asshole, and he'd seen how quiet Caroline had been the last few days.

It was obvious that _she_ was feeling bad, and strangely enough, that made him feel worse than the actual deed. Not to mention what Kol had said. That she'd actually run from the party looking upset.

To be honest, he's not sure why he even cared. Normally, he never had a conscience when it came to drunken hook ups, but he knew Caroline well enough to know _usually_ she had a more carefree attitude than him when it came to that sort of thing.

Now, just as he leant on the locker next to Stefan where the other boy was transferring some books from his backpack, the blonde on his mind rounded the corner into the corridor and made her way over to them. If the small rise of her shoulders was meant to be subtle, he noticed it, and, just like she'd been doing all day when their paths had crossed, her gaze flitted momentarily to the floor before she reverted back to her usual steely countenance which apparently she saved only for him.

Then, as she leant on the locker on the other side of Stefan, still avoiding his gaze, she said, "Stefan, I think I'm gonna head to the gym early before practice. Are you going to football practice later?"

Stefan looked up from his task of trying to successfully fit all his textbooks into his locker. "Oh, hey, Care. Yeah, of course. Do you need a ride home?"

She grinned, "You read my mind. I'll see you later." And then she spun on her heel and proceeded to breeze back down the corridor as if nothing was amiss.

Stefan glanced at him.

"What?"

"No snide remark? No," he attempted to put on a gruff English accent, "I don't get why your mates with someone so self-entitled…"

But Klaus wasn't listening. "Urm, yeah, mate… sounds good," he cut Stefan off. "I, uh… I left some stuff in art class that I've just remembered I need to go pick up," he blurted out the lie.

He wasn't even sure why he was doing this. All he knew was that he wanted to talk to Caroline because since their drunken hook up there were certain things he couldn't quite get his head around.

Stefan's brow furrowed slightly but then he just shrugged, "Sure, I'll see you at Matt's later?"

"Yeah," he nodded, not entirely certain of what Stefan had just said.

Exactly four minutes later he caught up with the blonde outside of the locker rooms. He grabbed her arm to stop her but as he gently gripped her wrist she jolted slightly, causing him to drop his hand back to his side.

"Wait, Caroline. I need to talk to you."

She turned around slowly, her demeanour frosty. She'd been avoiding this. Dreading it even. But like the calm before a storm she knew it'd been inevitable.

"Yes?" she asked in a falsely cheerful voice.

Klaus saw right through it and he refused to play along. He was there for one reason and, inhaling deeply, he decided to bite the bullet. "Are you ok?"

The words sounded foreign, almost disconcerting, coming out of his mouth, but she didn't show it. She couldn't. Because that would mean admitting that she actually cared and she'd spent too many hours last night with Katherine practicing how to believe everything would be normal. It didn't matter that her mom tended to forget about her existence most nights of the week, Klaus Mikaelson was off limits, despite Katherine continually reiterating that she'd done nothing wrong.

"Of course I am," she gave him a cool, light, blythe little smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Klaus' eyes fell into a squint. A beat, then, "Because we slept together. I just wanted to –"

Caroline lapsed into a forced laugh and her expression grew, if possible, even colder as she fought to keep her gaze level with his. "What are you doing?" she muttered as she turned to check if anyone else was lurking in the corridor with them. "Do you _want_ someone to hear you?" she snapped as she turned back to look at him.

His stare darkened, but not until he felt the air heating a bit around him. The tension that tended to transpire between them appeared to be back. At least it was something he was used to, something he could play off of, something he could bounce off of, and his resigned stare veered ceiling-ward.

"Listen, as far as I'm concerned, the other night _never_ happened," she continued undeterred.

"Great," he shrugged lazily. It's not like he'd ever been bothered about being _friends_ with her or anything.

" _Great_ ," she repeated and brushed past him with a hastiness that surprised him.

Fate does work in funny ways sometimes.

Because, perhaps, if Klaus had not been so momentarily stunned by the whirl of blonde hair which proceeded to breeze down the corridor with a cool air so distinctly feline, he might have noticed a slightly vulnerable facial expression, fuelled by the anxiety which had been buzzing beneath her skin throughout their entire conversation. Perhaps if Klaus hadn't felt the sizzle of irritation, which he'd come to closely associate with her, whilst she'd sauntered off with a seemingly effortless control of the situation, this story might have swerved off onto an entirely different trajectory.

But he did not notice the aforementioned expression and, predictably, he let his irritation bloom into full-blown annoyance at the fact he'd even bothered in the first place.

Like this story, both Klaus and Caroline appeared to be too stubborn to shift.

 **A/N:** Just a quick thing! Everything you read from now on will be leading up to what happened in the prologue. Hope you enjoyed and thanks so much for the read!


	3. Friday Night Bites

**Chapter 2 - Friday Night Bites**

 ** _September 9_** ** _th_** ** _, 2015_**

The sound of a whistle blowing out on the football pitch carried to the side lines where the cheer squad were warming up before practice. The girls were scattered in clusters of twos and threes and Katherine had taken up her usual spot next to Caroline, making sure that they were visible to the players out on the field.

Flaunting was essential. Just like the occasional flirting and nonchalance.

But the nonchalance seemed to be something her blonde friend found rather difficult lately.

"I thought we had _talked_ about this," she muttered as she watched Caroline stare after Klaus Mikaelson as he made his way through the parking lot to his car.

"Talked about what?" Caroline strained as she bent down to touch her toes.

"You have to put him out of your mind, Care. Erase him from your memory!" Katherine smacked her hand on Caroline's shoulder.

Standing up, the blonde frowned. "Firstly, _ow_ ," she said and began rubbing the spot on her shoulder Katherine hit, "and secondly, what are you talking about?"

Katherine scoffed, shooting her a ' _really?_ ' look. "I'm talking about your pathetic puppy dog stares in that asshole's direction. Stop."

Caroline gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "I'm not doing anything."

A sly, dark brow slowly arched up. "Then why can't Klaus keep his eyes off you?"

Caroline fixed her with a droll stare but still twisted her head around to see if it was true. When her gaze unwillingly met his, it tapered, thinned by a mixture of scrutiny and annoyance.

 _Shit_. Katherine was right.

"We agreed to pretend like nothing's happened," she swiftly turned back to face Katherine. "It was a one-time thing."

Katherine snorted. "You're so fucking predictable. I give it a week before this 'one-time thing' happens again."

Caroline shook her head. "Not in a million years."

"Care to wager on that?"

Pausing her stretches mid-lunge, Caroline cocked her head to the side. "What are you saying, Katherine? That I'm unable to resist Klaus Mikaelson?"

The darker-haired girl's lips unfurled into a Cheshire smirk as she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Trust me, Care, this has been a long time coming. The pair of you are practically royalty at this school and the fact that you guys _aren't_ together is almost a bigger scandal then if you were. So…" she trailed off with a loose shrug.

After a beat, Caroline's hard stare slowly transitioned to one with a subtly amused glitter. "You know what? You're so on. I was drunk and it'll _never_ happen again." She paused and bit her lip in consideration, "Let's say… a hundred bucks?"

Katherine's lips quirked. "No, I have money. This is on sheer principle. I want your appreciation for my ability to know you better than you know yourself. After all," she grinned, "I am the be all and the know all, and you're nowhere near my level yet."

"Whatever."

Katherine's stare grew smirky. "Game on."

 **-x-**

 **September 23** **rd** **, 2015**

Two weeks passed quickly and all of a sudden it was the first game of the season. People were crowded round the bonfire as Mr Tanner gave his team pep talk. There was a particularly loud roar from the crowd when reference was made to ' _Stefan Salvatore's hands of gold_ ', and Caroline gave a loose wave of her pom-poms.

"I cleaned my room today," Caroline muttered to Bonnie who was wedged next to her, her brow slightly furrowed in the way it always did when she had something on her mind.

Bonnie looked up at her taller friend as she shook a pom-pom. "Stress cleaning again?"

"I mean, I get that Elena wanted to quit the team, that's completely fine, she can do whatever. It's just that April isn't as good as her-" a small snort cut through her rambling as Bonnie's lips lifted into a grin.

"Care, _relax_. You've drilled this routine into our heads… including April's," she added when Caroline shot her a sceptical glance. "It's gonna be fine."

"Mmm," the blonde responded unenthusiastically, then her shoulders eased up into a shrug. "Well, whatever. Not everything can always happen according to plan, right?"

Bonnie's mouth took on an amused tilt at her friend's control freakiness – she'd been the exact same way since they were five years old. From colour coordinating Elena's wardrobe to alphabetizing Bonnie's bookshelf.

"It's show time," a mane of brunette curls sauntered over to them as she tucked a hip flask into the top of her cheer uniform causing Bonnie's gaze to veer sky-ward. "Sorry, mom," Katherine lapsed into a dark chuckle.

Ignoring the pair's bickering, Caroline started to follow the crowd heading out towards the pitch, until a voice caught her attention.

"Oi, Klaus, pass the Jack Daniels!"

Her gaze snapped over to where Klaus was leant against his car with Hayley Marshall sprawled over him.

"Hayley," she snapped over the rumble of chatter. "Hurry up, the game's about to start."

Klaus shot an amused glance in her direction. "Someone's fiery."

She cocked her head to the side, tone frosty. " _Someone_ needs her entire squad to be present on the field, like right now."

There was a shout from behind her. From what she could grasp it sounded as if a fight was happening but she couldn't really care less as to who was involved.

Slowly, Hayley unravelled her arms from around Klaus' neck and flattened her uniform, which had ridden up around her thighs, back down. "Call me?" she tossed over her shoulder as she rushed to catch up with some other girls on the squad.

"Stop distracting my squad, Klaus."

He rolled his eyes at her terse tone. "Distracting sounds so negative. Hayley was rather enjoying herself, don't you think?" he casually tossed the bottle of Jack Daniels over to the guy who'd asked for it.

She held his stare for a long, cutting moment before shrugging. "I highly doubt that." And without even waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and followed Hayley out onto the field.

Well.

They appeared to be back to their whole animosity routine.

Apparently, things had returned to normal.

The friction between herself and Klaus had been present for three years straight – ever since he'd moved to Mystic Falls freshman year. It was a known snag.

Now, in hindsight, she didn't even know why she'd been so bothered a fortnight ago.

But, something had irked her back there. More than usual. And, as she joined the ranks of cheerleaders, she realised she felt the slight prickle of irritation again when her gaze snagged on the back of Hayley's head as she chatted animatedly to Lexi Branson.

Then it dawned on her.

It was her first game as head cheerleader, of course she was going to feel annoyed if everyone wasn't going to pull their weight. Rational or not, that _must_ explain it.

It made sense.

Obviously that was it.

Making her way to the front of the squad, she cast the thoughts aside.

"Right, girls. It's game time."

 **-x-**

Stefan was stood with Matt at Klaus' party as another guy passed them, slapping them both on the back with a cheerful, "Great game, guys. Timberwolves rule!"

Matt glanced at him with a vacant expression. "You know what dude, we kinda do."

Stefan smirked. The quarterback was smashed.

Matt eyed a couple to their right who were on the verge of a major blow out. "Yikes, remind me never to get on the wrong side of Katherine Pierce."

Following Matt's line of sight, Stefan spotted what he was talking about.

"Get off me, Kai," she yelled, launching her purse out to smack his shoulder and Stefan's brow notched upwards in interest. Out of all the strays Katherine had brought to their parties, this one had by far lasted the longest. "If I wanted to date an immature loser, I would have stuck with high school boys," she snapped.

"Be a little more dramatic, will you?" his eyes veered up towards the ceiling. "It was _one_ body shot, and it's not like we're official or anything. You said so yourself."

Stefan inwardly cringed because he knew it was only a matter of time before the brunette would explode. He watched as her eyes narrowed into slits. Before she could get a word out, however, Caroline emerged out of nowhere, jumping in between them, and pressed her hands onto the other girl's shoulders.

"Why don't you and I spark one out back, huh? Little Gilbert hooked me up."

Katherine hesitated, and for the ones who were still watching the scene, they wondered what she was going to do next. When all she did was nod her head, and follow Caroline out the back door, they looked away dissatisfied.

"Aye," Matt called across the living room to Kai who turned to glare at them. "Don't sweat it, man. Katherine's not one to keep a guy around much longer than the flavour lasts."

Kai's brow rose as he strolled over to them. "You know," he chuckled to himself - not an act which settled Stefan's nerves, "it's because of idiots like you that make it virtually impossible for girls like her to let anyone in. So," he shot a dark stare towards Matt, "thanks, _man_. Now I have to work twice as hard to prove her wrong."

"Yeah, great job doing that with the body shot." Tyler Lockwood slid into the conversation to back Matt up who was blearily looking up at the older college student.

When Kai set his gaze on Tyler, Stefan bristled in anticipation. Suddenly, the guy smirked. "Hey, I never said I was perfect."

All three blinked in surprise and watched as Kai turned and headed off towards the back porch in a casual fashion. Matt hiccupped, almost falling flat on the floor and Stefan barely had enough time to grab and support him. Tyler was no help because as soon as Kai was gone, so was Tyler.

"I need another drink," Matt slurred and, fumbling out of Stefan's grip, stumbled off to find the keg.

Sighing, Stefan took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to find his girlfriend's name. He hadn't seen Elena all night.

 **-x-**

It was late when Caroline unwittingly walked past Klaus in his upstairs hallway. She'd been sitting up on the highest balcony and had subsequently lost track of time whilst the party had droned on without her just fine.

She wished she could say the same for herself.

She hadn't even planned on coming to the party. Her mom had promised that she'd be home for dinner for a change and she'd actually been _excited_ to tell her how the game had gone. However, as per usual, she'd come home to an empty silence.

She was pretty sure she'd read somewhere that some people found silence comforting, but no matter how much she thought about it, the concept always baffled her.

Silence made her skin crawl.

It was the absence of a thing. An indiscriminate void waiting for actual things to fill it.

God, she needed something to divert her attention.

She was on her way home and halfway across the hallway when she spotted him coming out of his bedroom. His hair a mess of dirty blonde curls atop his head and she made a b-line straight for him.

Klaus hadn't intended on throwing this party. But, of course, the Timberwolves had gone on to spectacularly win the first game of the season and Kol being Kol had insisted that he _must_ host a party in celebration.

Thus, having spent the first half of the party avoiding Hayley's longing glances, it was with a gentle ease that he found himself creeping out of his room which he'd been hiding out in for the past fifteen minutes. Just as he slipped into the dark hallway, however, a blur of blonde came straight at him.

"Hi," was all she bothered to say before grabbing a fistful of his shirt and, without any sort of explanation, wrenched his mouth onto hers. He stumbled forward in total disorientation, hand flying up to brace against the wall behind her, and she took this as an invitation to back against it and pull him into her, two fists clamped tightly around his collar.

"What are yo-" was all he managed to get out between charged, heady kisses. Her leg hitched up to wrap around him, flushing his hips against hers in a hungry, friction-y grind. She felt like liquid against him – thick, warm, dizzying liquid, pooling into every dip and valley of his stiff frame and slowly sinking into his skin. For a second his entire mind blanked.

" _Hey_ ," he growled as he pulled back and his head dropped to level with hers. Flooded blue eyes stared back at his, glinting as if she was daring him to underestimate her.

"What?" she managed between breaths.

The sound of a glass being smashed downstairs reminded them both of where they were and, gently grabbing her by the wrist, he pulled her into his bedroom.

Despite the dark, her blue gaze twinkled with mischief and his pulse ticked upwards. He hadn't been so drunk the other night that he couldn't remember how great it had been. For a first time, it had been more than he had expected for sure. It was something to actually remember once all was said and done. Clearly the friction between himself and Caroline could be put to good use elsewhere.

Christ, he wanted her.

The warm fan of her breath ghosted along his jaw and he felt his hand, slowly, instinctively lift, fingertips coasting up the bare skin underneath her top to curl around her neck.

And that was apparently all it took.

Her hand flew up to his collar to pull his mouth back onto hers, and he responded to the kiss immediately, hands dropping to her waist. Her back hit the bedroom door as his body pressed forward, pressing into hers.

"Lock it." Her stare was bright with adrenaline as she flew through the buttons of his shirt.

"Don't tell me what to do," he murmured against her lips, pulling her top over her head and flinging it to the floor, flushing her newly exposed skin against his, and, despite himself, he swiftly reached behind her and locked the door anyway.

The rush of heat was electrifying and instantaneous, pooling between her legs in a throbbing need as he maneuvered their twined bodies across his room, culminating in them crashing onto the bed. His mouth was hot and demanding on hers, large hands roaming over her like they couldn't decide on a favourite spot.

She knew this was bad.

But all she wanted to do was make it worse.

So much so, that not five minutes later, when he was halfway through coaxing off her underwear, kissing his way down the jut of her hipbone, she buried her hand in his hair and urged him lower. And as she let out a throaty moan, somewhere in the back of her mind she noted that the silence from earlier had long gone.

Screw the bet she had with Katherine. Screw what her mom might think.

Right now, she wanted Klaus Mikaelson.

And she was going to have him.

 **-x-**

There was just breathing.

Deep, unsteady breathing.

The air was thick. Heavy. Dizzy with the musk of skin and sex. Ringing with the memory of raspy moans.

Klaus' arm was draped carelessly over her body when he muttered, "I could do this every night," and she shifted, turning slightly to face him. Even in the semi-darkness her gaze was luminous.

"I bet you could."

"Cocky, are we?"

"Obviously."

The faint sound of music from below let them know that the party was still going on and Katherine was probably wondering where she was, but she didn't care. Surprisingly, this time she felt no remorse. Only a lingering sensation of satisfaction.

"Seriously though," he said, hand slowly sliding down her side to rest on her thigh. "When can we do this again?"

Her pulse tripped at the unexpected question. A beat, and then, "We won't."

His brow furrowed slightly and the follow up question of 'why?' didn't have to be asked.

"We both know that come school on Monday we'll be back to grating on each other," she said in a blasé tone, trying to ignore the hand that glided back up towards her stomach. Then, surprised at why she was suddenly feeling so honest, she added, "and my mom-"

He scoffed. "Do you think my mum and Mikael would be especially thrilled to learn I'd been fucking the _Sheriff's_ daughter?"

Mikael. She vaguely knew the story there from when Katherine had had that… _thing_ with Elijah earlier in the year. Mom had affair. Mom got pregnant. Mom's husband resented kid. Regardless, it didn't justify being an asshole. Parents could suck. Deal with it.

His gaze was hooded, and she subconsciously rose her thigh to let it graze against his. In a teasing manner, she pressed against him and the excitement of the encounter swiftly returned.

"In that case," she murmured, rising to lean on her elbow, efficiently giving him a perfect view of her naked chest, "we need rules. The first one being that this stays a secret. If I hear so much as a whisper around school, I swear I'll never go near you again."

His expression turned playfully combative. "Ok. And what if you have a boyfriend?" He was amazed that they were actually talking. Usually, after sex with Hayley, or any other girl for that matter, he'd just roll over and fall asleep. But there was something about her sharp blue stare that was keeping him wide awake. Maybe it was because he wasn't drunk. Or maybe because she smirked mischievously as if their plotting actually excited her. The look was good on her.

"Pshh, _me_? Having a boyfriend? Come on, Klaus, you must be mistaking me for someone else. I don't do relationships," she responded with an amused voice. Nothing in her expression revealed that she wished she did.

"I have fun," she added with a fake innocent tilt of her head and he couldn't keep his hands off her any longer.

"Deal," he muttered, cupping the back of her head to bring her lips back onto his.

After all, the night was still young and tomorrow could fuck off for all he cared.

 **-x-**

It was starting to get light outside by the time Caroline creeped into the house. A slight wince flashed across her face when she stood on a loose floorboard and a _creak_ emanated around the house. She was used to Elena's and Bonnie's houses - she'd practically grown up in them and had spent enough time there to easily avoid making any kind of noise.

But when it came to manoeuvring around Katherine's house, she was still somewhat unsure. The territory was new compared to the eleven years she'd had to explore the former two.

Suddenly, a flash of light cascaded down onto the room causing her to flinch in shock and almost drop her heels she had clutched in her hand.

" _Jesus_ , Katherine, you scared the hell out of me," she hissed, snapping a glare over to where Katherine was sat smugly in a chair.

The brunette, stare glittering with amusement, said nothing in return.

"Shut up," she said as she slapped five twenties into Katherine's outstretched hand.

Katherine arched a perfectly groomed brow. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

Katherine's lips quirked. "Why are you getting so touchy? It's not like it wasn't worth it. And despite this little act you're working right now, you couldn't wipe that grin off your face even if you tried."

"Whatever," Caroline said, unintentionally letting a chuckle escape past her lips.

Katherine gave an aloof shrug. "Told ya." Getting up out of the chair she drew a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Now, I'm going to bed."

Vacating the chair the brunette had just left, Caroline watched her glide up the stairs. Jesus Christ, only Katherine would have the ability to glide anywhere at 5:26 in the morning. Trying and failing to stifle a yawn, Caroline sat back into the seat, legs stretching out in front of her. She really hated how Katherine was always right. She was right about Klaus and she was definitely right about Caroline herself. But most of all she hated the last thing Katherine was right about…

She really couldn't wipe the grin from her face, even if she tried.

 **A/N:** Wooo, chapter 3! Hopefully this chapter gave a little more insight into some of the characters and I hope you're enjoying this random AU, lol. Let me know what you think!


	4. Let the Flames Begin

**Chapter 3 – Let the Flames Begin**

 **September 28** **th** **, 2015**

And just like Katherine predicted, the ball started rolling…

They hook up again within a week. This time at a party held at Katherine's house. It started with bickering. Klaus called Caroline ' _neurotic_ ' and she responded with an equally petty _'you're a dick_.'

From her spot in Kai's lap, Katherine could almost see it coming.

Caroline was stood with a bunch of girls from the squad and when Klaus walked past, bottle of Absolute Vodka hanging limply in his grip, the blonde fixed him with a stare so fiery that Katherine couldn't believe no one else noticed. Talk about being discrete.

Not five minutes later, when she was headed for the bathroom, she walked past the upstairs guest room and in there spotted a very familiar pair of blonde heads of hair.

Klaus had Caroline pinned up against the wall, kissing her so hard that he must have been afraid of bruising her. Smirking, Katherine silently closed the door on them before continuing to the bathroom.

Yep. She definitely saw that one coming.

 **-x-**

 **October 10** **th** **, 2015**

"Happy Birthday!"

Caroline flinched upon entering the Salvatore Boarding House as the chorus of 'happy birthdays' rang out from the living room. " _Guys_ ," she gasped, clutching her chest, before her face broke into a bright smile.

Stefan, Bonnie, Elena and Matt were clustered around one of the sofas, which she herself had spent many a movie-night sprawled over, their own faces showcasing wide grins.

 _Pop!_

A rabid cork went flying, barely missing Stefan who had to duck, sparing what likely would've been his right eye. His harassed stare flew over to Matt who was gawking after the cork, a startled expression present on his face.

"Sorry?" Matt offered with a casual shrug, the frothing bottle of champagne hanging limply from his hand as he began to pour five glasses.

"You know you didn't have to," Caroline said, gesturing toward a wrapped present on the sofa as she took a full glass of champagne from Matt. "I thought we were just finishing off party prep."

Bonnie's gaze veered ceiling-ward because of course they had to. Birthdays, Christmas and sometimes even Thanksgiving, Caroline would go out, buy gifts and sign the card from all of them as if it had been a joint venture. But they all knew it was her.

"Hey, Care," Stefan motioned for her to come through to the kitchen with him.

"What's up?" she asked, jumping up to sit on the kitchen counter. Watching as he closed the door behind them, Caroline couldn't help but think he looked kind of skittish as he ran a hand through his hair as if he was having a heated internal debate. "You're doing that look."

His brow furrowed. "What look?"

"The 'woe is me, I have the weight of the entire world on my shoulders' look," she smirked. "Party planning is meant to be fun, Stefan."

"Has your mom told you anything about the latest Town Council meeting?"

Surprised by the random direction he'd just taken the conversation, her brow rose a fraction. "No. Why would she?"

"I overheard my mom and dad talking last night." In typical Stefan fashion he released a gusty sigh causing Caroline to shoot him a quizzical look. "They were saying that your mom and mayor Lockwood have been building a case against Klaus' dad. Apparently they have a new lead or something –"

Caroline spluttered, almost choking on the champagne she'd just taken a sip of.

"- and I was just wondering whether you'd heard anything," he finished.

Her pulse spiked irrationally. She was vaguely aware of Bonnie, Matt and Elena laughing in the other room, but it was nothing more than a muffled clutter of noises. There was no way Stefan would bring this up with her unless -

"Why would I have heard anything?" She asked, fighting to keep her voice even.

His face crumpled in confusion. "Because your mom's the sheriff?"

"Oh!" She broke into an awkward, instinctive smile, relief easing the line of her shoulders. "Obviously." A forced chuckle tumbled out past her lips before she attempted to pull her face into what she hoped was a neutral expression. "Sorry, Stef, I haven't heard anything."

He moved to sit next to her on the counter. "Look, I know you don't like the guy-"

Caroline's lips ticked into a half-hearted smile. "Right."

"-but when he's not being a dick he's actually alright-"

It felt weird. Like super strange Stefan not knowing about her arrangement with Klaus. It wasn't as if she'd actually _lied_ to him about it. She'd just… omitted a few things about her life recently. But even that was weird as they'd always told each other everything. When he'd finally decided to pluck up enough courage to ask out Elena, _she'd_ been the first person he'd called. When she'd lost her virginity back in sophomore year, _he'd_ been the person she was most eager to tell. Back in the 8th grade they'd been each other's first kiss - if only for the simple reason that they were thirteen and wanted to know what it was like. Of course, they'd been immediately repulsed, but the point still stood. They went through things together.

Inhaling, she opened her mouth. He was Stefan. He _had_ to know.

"-do you think I should tell him?"

"I… uh… _what_?" _That_ caught her completely off guard.

"Klaus. Should I say something?"

Oh, the irony.

"I, urm… no. Don't say anything." She jumped off the counter and began to move back towards the kitchen door. She needed to end this conversation otherwise she might start to realise things she wasn't ready to confront just yet. Resting her hand on the door knob, she turned back to look at her friend and noted his puzzled expression. Focusing on keeping up her nonchalant demeanour, she said, "You don't know anything for certain. What's the point of mentioning it to him if it turns out to be wrong?" She gave him a casual shrug and he nodded in understanding before also crossing the kitchen to join her.

"I guess you're right."

She smirked. "I'm always right."

Opening the door, she waited for Stefan to walk back out into the living room and downed what was left of her champagne before inhaling deeply and following him out of the kitchen.

What she saw should have horrified her.

Matt was clumsily placing party decorations all over the place without a second thought. However, after the bomb Stefan had just dropped she found herself rather distracted.

Forcing herself to focus, she tossed a sheet of blonde hair over her shoulder and marched over to the quarterback. "This is the ugliest display I've ever seen," she deadpanned, and he rolled his eyes at her trademark control-freakiness.

Ignoring the slightly uneasy feeling she could feel tugging at the back of her mind, she attempted to fix her concentration onto the night ahead.

She was Caroline Forbes, after all.

And she had a party to plan.

 **-x-**

Her party was in full swing by the time she entered one of the guest rooms in the Salvatore Boarding House, exactly eight minutes after Klaus had given her 'the nod'.

She was happy with how the party had turned out – "The party of the year!" Lexi Branson had yelled before flinging herself onto the slip 'n' slide outside which was by now probably more drenched in vodka than it was water. She didn't care if Katherine thought all the weeks she'd spent planning and organising had been 'unnecessary', it had paid off.

Upon entering the room, she closed the door and rested her back against it.

Hearing the _click_ of the latch, Klaus turned to face her. "You're late," was all he bothered to say, his heavily accented voice gruff with frustration at having been left waiting and she supressed a smirk – his accent always came out thicker whenever he'd had a drink.

Her brow rose in a slow, caustic arch. "Yeah, it's like I have a party to host or something." He began to cross the room, closing the gap between them, and her gaze skittered over him, faltering on his boots where the leather had that over worn, faded look. "I'm glad you dressed up for the occasion," she said before she could stop herself. She couldn't help but to try and get some kind of rise out of him. After three years it was almost engrained in her subconscious. She herself was dressed in a sparkly green dress that cut off just above her mid-thigh and she'd paired it with her new black heels Katherine had given her earlier. It was her birthday – of course she was going to go all out.

"I saw you dancing with Jesse." His voice was low, and as he rested his right hand on the door next to her head, effectively boxing her in on one side, his hooded gaze dropped to her mouth. Something flickered behind his eyes as they came back up to meet her own, the usually amused glint had been replaced by something darker, more sharp than normal. She couldn't quite place it. And then -

"Oh my God, you're jealous."

He stiffened, stare thinning. "No."

"Yes," she nodded, chuckling as irritation bloomed on his face. "You are."

"Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart," he muttered, voice laced with a simmering annoyance as he attempted to retract his previous statement.

She rose a sardonic brow. "It's perfectly normal to be jealous," she smirked as he rolled his eyes. "Just human emotion." She paused, and then her stare brightened with amusement as she remembered something. "At least it proves you are one. Apparently, my theory's been wrong all these years."

His jaw ticked before his brow furrowed slightly. "Wait, you didn't think I was human?"

Laughter unexpectedly tumbled from her mouth at his confused expression. "It was just a hunch."

His lips quirked upwards into a mischievous smirk. "I believe I've shown you I'm man enough numerous times now."

Her gaze snapped to the ceiling in a severe roll. "If all you wanted to do was to prove me that you are in fact a human then _I believe_ I have a party to get back to."

She moved to reach for the door handle but his other arm came to rest on the wall the other side of her head to block her path.

Annoyed, she fixed him with an icy stare. "Klaus, what the fuc-"

"I wanted to say Happy Birthday," he cut her off, and his eyes bloomed a dark, suddenly humourless blue.

She blinked. _Never_ in a million years would she have thought she'd hear those words leave Klaus Mikaelson's mouth.

She was suddenly hyper-aware of how close he was. Not that she hadn't noticed before, and they'd certainly been closer and _definitely_ more naked in the past, but the sincerity of his gaze was not something she was used to. It wasn't hungry, or even lusty, but assessing. Incisive. Perceptive.

And it threw the _hell_ out of her.

Before she could say anything, his lips grazed hers in a slow, warm kiss. Her eyes instinctively fluttered shut and she expected to feel the warmth of his hands slide up her bare skin under the fabric of her dress. She waited for him to attempt to take it further. To keep it light-hearted. Casual. Like they'd agreed.

Instead he pulled back.

It had been affectionate. Intimate, almost. Exactly what they didn't do, and her pulse spiked to an uneven staccato.

After a beat of thick silence, she glanced up.

He was just staring down at her, the amused glint back in full force.

"What?"

His shoulders eased up. "Don't you have a party to get back to?"

"Right," she nodded, clearing her throat. "The party."

Smirking, he stepped back, and this time when she moved to grab the door handle he didn't attempt to stop her.

Irritated that she'd let herself get so flustered over a simple kiss, she swiftly exited the room.

Refusing to let herself delve too deeply into what that could have meant, she buried her previous _delusional_ thoughts, and rather chalked it up to having had one too many tequila shots. After all, he was Klaus Mikaelson – the guy was a player and was interested in practically every girl at the school. Sure, she was happy enough to keep their 'deal' going - the guy certainly knew what he was doing. But she was too smart to be seduced into believing the idea that he'd ever want anything more serious.

As she descended the stairs to re-join the party, however, she noted the sudden niggling feeling at the bottom of her spine.

Forcing a fake-sunny smile onto her face, because what else did people expect from their head cheerleader, she realised that it was the sudden guilt seeping into the pit of her stomach that confused her the most.

Not the kiss.

Not the Happy Birthday.

But, rather, the fact that she felt guilty not telling Klaus what Stefan had mentioned earlier.

Two months ago, she wouldn't have given a crap.

And that's what scared her the most.

 **-x-**

 **October 15** **th** **, 2015**

"Are you sure this is ok with Katherine's dude?" Klaus asked somewhere on the way to Charlottesville whilst attempting to keep his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

 _Attempting_ , because next to him in the passenger seat of his car, was a half-naked Caroline who was busy getting out of her formal dinner dress and the mere sight was mouth-watering.

"It's fine," she said, only half paying attention to what he said as the rest of her concentration was fixed on trying to successfully manoeuvre out of the complex maze of straps and fabric. Eventually she succeeded and pulled the dress up, over her head, and his jaw ticked at the sight of her naked chest in the corner of his eye. "Plus, at this hour the entire Sigma Chi house will be drunk off their asses anyway."

She turned and reached for her duffel bag in the backseat causing her perfect breast to rub against his arm. If they weren't on their way to the University of Virginia, he'd pull over at the next available spot and ravish her. It was dark and at 11 PM on a Thursday he doubted they'd be caught.

"Thank for saving me from that boring hell," her stare met his in the rear-view mirror. "Of course my mom only wants to spend time with me when she can show me off to the other officers. I thought she was going to throw a bitch fit when I got up and left," she chuckled, but it was cold. Empty.

He considered saying something. To try and be comforting, but they didn't do that sort of thing. She'd already been acting kind of strange since her party and all he'd said then was Happy Birthday, so he didn't know how she'd take it. Instead he slid a hand up her thigh and said, "I guess a bitch fit wouldn't make that much of a difference with Liz."

She started to shimmy out of her hold-ups, and she was either not aware that she was driving him insane or she was doing it on purpose to tease him. The way she pointed her toes and slowly pulled the thin material down her calves one at a time made him pretty sure it was the latter. He continued to half watch the road and half watch the blonde in the seat next to him and he found himself wondering what she'd say if he suggested they just stop off at the nearest motel.

"I hope you're ready for tonight," her voice cut through his fantasies. "Kai can be a _liiitle_ crazy sometimes," she said as she leant forwards and pulled the sun visor down to check her makeup in the mirror.

He dragged his gaze over her outstretched, naked torso in a luxuriating once over and he suddenly couldn't distract himself any longer.

In a lethal move, he took both hands off the wheel in order to cup the back of her head and plant a kiss roughly against her lips.

In that moment he didn't care whether they were caught.

And who knew, maybe hand cuffs would spice it up a bit.

 **-x-**

It was midnight by the time they walked into the Sigma Chi house and despite his efforts to look cool, he still ended up trotting behind Caroline like an insecure geek. It's not that he's fazed by it being UVA, he's recently been considering going to New Orleans for college, but the prospect of entering a frat-house full of older guys doesn't exactly comfort him either.

Caroline seemed perfectly at home and entered the house with such a cool, knowing air that he guessed she and Katherine must have spent plenty of time up here with Katherine's guy. He doesn't know Kai, but of course he knows _of_ him.

Stefan never shut up about the quarterback with number seventeen on his jersey. The guy had made a name for himself in his freshman year by working his magic on the field, and now, as a sophomore, was according to Stefan – ' _the biggest UVA legend since 1994_ '.

"Do you see Katherine anywhere?" he muttered, placing a hand on the small of Caroline's back as they made their way through the crowd of guys stood in the hallway. Somewhere from across the room a loud cheer erupted.

Turning to face him, Caroline rose a sardonic brow. "If you beat his time, I'll give you a prize."

Letting his gaze follow her line of sight he internally groaned. In the middle of the big living room, Kai was fist-bumping some other guys from the team after completing what, by the sounds of the roar of the crowd who'd been watching, was a phenomenal keg-stand.

Caroline's smirk was vicious. "I'll warn you though, Katherine's pretty badass and Kai holds the record."

The thought of Katherine doing a keg-stand caused his lips to quirk. The girl was such an ice queen at their own parties and she'd never be caught dead attempting one.

Caroline appeared to notice her slip of the tongue, as her eyes widened ever so slightly, before they narrowed mischievously. "If you ever mention that to _anyone_ ," she paused and, without any kind of warning, her hand slipped down and took a hard, unapologetic fistful of his cock. "You can say goodbye to the possibility of that prize tonight."

Then, before he could so much as blink, she'd dropped her hand and taken a step back, an amused expression present on her face.

He gritted his teeth at the sudden loss of friction. Even from that slight, albeit forceful, touch he could feel himself getting hard.

Snapping his stare to meet hers he couldn't help but scoff, because of course he was going to try and beat Kai's time. The challenging glint in her eyes and the unspoken 'I dare you' was all it would take. And she absolutely knew it.

"Watch and learn," he grinned cockily at her before walking up to Kai and asked if he could have a go. Katherine's boyfriend, or hook-up, or whatever he was, gave him an amused nod before shooting Caroline a curious look as he took a step back to join the watching crowd.

Record, huh? He silently thanked his MIA parents for all the times he'd been able to stay at home and raid their liquor cabinet without them breathing down his neck. Kai might have the high-score on the football field, but if there was one thing Klaus knew then it was how to drink.

It was ridiculous as hell, but in some strange, roundabout way, he felt like it was an excellent way to prove himself to the dimpled blonde with the world's greatest legs. It was a fucking amateur move, but for some reason he figured if he beat Kai's time then Caroline will happily go upstairs with him later. He wanted that prize she talked about badly.

As he approached the keg he could hear Katherine laugh so loudly she almost choked on her drink.

"Seriously, Klaus?"

But when he lifted himself up with ease, his arms straining ever so slightly, the curly brunette shut up.

And when he came back down, some unidentified amount of time later, the crowd yelled and cheered, and she didn't laugh anymore. More importantly, across the room a certain blonde grinned and pointed toward the stairs.

Time to claim that prize.

 **-x-**

 **October 28** **th** **, 2015**

"Can I ask you something, man?" Klaus slurred one night as he collapsed onto a couch next to Katherine's significant other.

Kai's brow rose a fraction in surprise. He'd seen the boy a total of four times, simply because Caroline had brought him along on several occasions over the past few weeks, but this was the first time he'd ever really spoken to him past the usual greetings and farewells before and after an event. Despite their lack of conversation, Kai had no problem with the kid.

"Sure, shoot," he patted Klaus' shoulder like he would with one of his frat-buddies and then nodded his head for him to continue.

Klaus gave him a sloppy smile and looked into his now empty cup of alcohol. His smile rapidly transitioned into an expression of disdain and Kai shook his head. The guy was smashed and one sip away from passing out.

"You know Caroline, right?" Klaus blearily squinted at him and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I know Caroline."

"Do you know about our," the blonde paused and pursed his lips. "Our _situation_?" he finally finished and slumped further back into the couch.

Kai eyed him with sceptical curiosity. Katherine had informed him about the arrangement Caroline and the blonde boy next to him had entered into. Instinctively he felt protective over the bubbly blonde that reminded him so much of his sister, but instead of voicing his concerns, Katherine would 100% castrate him in his sleep if he said anything, he decided to listen to what the guy had to say. "What's on your mind, bro?"

"How-" Klaus' brow furrowed. "Just how twis-" he stopped and sighing, leant his head back on the couch. "I think I like her," he groaned before shutting his eyes.

"Like her," Kai nodded slowly as he mulled the words over. "Care to elaborate?"

Klaus' eyes shot open. "I can't stop thinking about her sometimes," he grumbled. "And it's like, whenever I'm with Hayley, or whoever, I just want to piss them off so I can be with Caroline again."

"So why don't you just ditch Hayley or whoever?" Kai asked. Surely, that was the simple answer. Why over-complicate it? God, he hated high school drama.

Klaus scoffed. "You don't get it, mate. Caroline doesn't _do_ relationships, and even if she did, she wouldn't get with me."

Kai's brows ticked up. "Why not?"

Klaus' mouth formed a flat line and his eyes scrunched a little in the corners as he pondered the older guy's question. "Because," he drunkenly drawled, shoulders slumping slightly, "Her mom wouldn't approve. And even if she can be the biggest arse to Caroline, Caroline wouldn't do that to her. Not to mention Mikael…" he trailed off, caught in his own muddled whirlpool of thoughts.

Kai nodded in understanding. "So, what's the problem then?" Klaus' distracted gaze slid up to meet his. "You're sleeping together behind your parents', and everyone else's, backs, right?" It took Klaus a beat to comprehend what was just said. For fucks sake, what had the guy been drinking? But he finally gave a slow, upwards tilt of his head to signal he was following. "Why change it?"

"Why change it?" Klaus echoed distractedly.

Following his line of sight, Kai spotted the distraction. Caroline was sauntering past and when she spotted them she smirked, the mischievous glint in her stare gleaming so ferociously that Kai had to supress an eye roll. Katherine was right. He couldn't believe subtle was meant to be part of their playbook.

"Because then-" Klaus cut himself off when Caroline nodded towards him. When she'd gone, disappearing into the throng of people, Klaus turned back to Kai, a pleased expression plastered all over his face. "What was I talking about?"

"Nothing," Kai shook his head. "Nothing you know the answer to anyway."

Klaus' face scrunched in confusion, but he appeared to not be too fazed. "So, good chat, mate. But I uh… I gotta…"

"Go?" Kai supplied, shooting him an insouciant smirk as he settled comfortably back into the couch.

"I got the nod," Klaus said, as if it was a statement that was supposed to carry all the powers of explanation and understanding.

The blonde boy stood up from the couch, swayed a bit, and then made his way across the room and up the stairs towards the room that Caroline was waiting in.

Then, just as Kai was about to make his way over to the keg to get another drink, it hit him. The answer to Klaus' question hit him so squarely in the face that he was almost annoyed it hadn't occurred to him straight away.

The reason for changing their arrangement was something neither Klaus or Caroline wanted to admit to.

They wanted it to change, but their parents were in the way.

They wanted it to change, but that meant being out in the open.

They wanted it to change, but what if it worked out?

Then they'd have nowhere to hide.

 **-x-**

 **October 29** **th** **, 2015**

A sleepy nose twitch.

A lazy shuffle.

A loud eruption of laughter from some distant place finally caused him to stir.

Begrudgingly cracking open an eye, Klaus noted that he'd been sleeping on a pile of clothes in a room he didn't even remember entering. The sunlight streaming in through the slats in the blinds stung his eyes and his head felt like it was going to explode.

 _What happened last night?_

He tried to see whether he was mobile enough to roll off the pile of clothes.

The clinking of dishes downstairs made him wince and clench his eyes shut momentarily. He reached out for his shirt but immediately dropped it, recoiling in disgust. It smelt like beer and vomit and a sinking feeling instantly entered the pit of his stomach. He glanced around and wondered whether he'd puked in his sleep or something equally embarrassing. His jeans were a mess and his shirt was equally ruined. He couldn't even begin to remember where his shoes or socks could be. All he had on was his black cotton boxers and more laughter from downstairs sent a pulsing pain ricocheting around his skull.

Then he saw it. A bottle of aspirin and some water had been placed to the side of his makeshift bed like an angelic care package from God. Whoever had left it for him was his hero.

After he'd guzzled down three pills, he heard the creak of the stairs, indicating someone was on their way up, and he braced himself as he waited upon who was about to enter. When it was Kai's face that peeked round the door, he instantly relaxed. Quickly glancing around the room, he determined that it must have been Kai's room he'd been crashing in as no one else would have allowed his drunk arse to pass out on their floor. He didn't know anyone in the Sigma Chi house except Kai, so he was pretty sure he must have made an absolute fool of himself the night before. The likelihood of another visit was probably slim to none, even if he was accompanied by Caroline.

"Oh, good. You're up," Kai shot him an unfazed glance as he stepped over him to get to his closet. "You were pretty wasted last night, Preppy," he chuckled, rummaging through his draws for something.

 _Preppy_? Since when had that start - you know what? Whatever. He was still slightly drunk and had more pressing issues to worry about. Like whether he'd been sick last night and if he'd been sick on anyone else. "Yeah, uh, my bad, mate," he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Did I hurl everywhere?"

Kai glanced at him over his shoulder as he continued to look through his draws. "Nah, you actually weren't sick at all. That was my buddy Aaron who just so happened to have had a few more than you." Turning back to face the draw, he chuckled, shaking his head. "You took it like a champ, though. You didn't even bat an eyelid. You just stripped right on the spot. If it hadn't been for Caroline I think we all might have gotten more than you anticipated for us to see when you came here last night."

Klaus scrubbed a hand over his face. "I didn't mean any disrespe-"

"Save it, Preppy," Kai stood up, finally finding what he'd been searching for. "The girls vouched for you. Plus, Caroline took care of you so it wasn't like I had to babysit your drunk ass," he explained, tossing Klaus a pair of grey sweats.

Klaus blinked. _Caroline_ took care of him?

"Oh, shit," Kai's mouth fell closed, lips forming a flat line, "I wasn't meant to say that." He paused for a beat. Then he shrugged. "Oh well." He turned and started to exit the room. "You coming? The girls are downstairs cooking breakfast."

Klaus snorted as he followed Kai down the stairs. "The girls are cooking? As in _Caroline's_ cooking?"

Kai chuckled. "Relax, Katherine knows the risks. She won't let Caroline within two feet of the stove."

Klaus smirked. "Which is good because Caroline wouldn't go within _three_ feet of one anyway."

When they entered the kitchen, Kai settled himself at one of the counters and began muttering something to Katherine who turned around and winked at him. Klaus' gaze continued to roam around the kitchen before it snagged on Caroline who had her back to everyone.

His brow ticked upwards, blood heating a bit.

She was in a flimsy little pyjama set that was like 4% silk, 96% skin, and she'd been moaning his name less than seven hours ago.

He really couldn't help it if his brain wandered.

She was busy pouring orange juice into cups so didn't notice as he approached her from behind. As he got closer he slid his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck.

" _What_ the-"

Startled, Caroline flinched, her body jolting forward with such force that she almost dropped the pitcher containing a gallon of juice.

" _Jesus_ , Klaus. I just spent like fifteen minutes making this."

Chuckling, he tightened his arms around her waist. "All you have to do is add water, love."

Craning her neck, she shot him an 'are you dumb?' look. "Yeah, but you have to add exactly the right amount otherwise it tastes like crap." Her brows pinched together in the middle and she turned around in the circle of his arms to face him. "How are you feeling?" she asked, reaching up to gently press her palm against his forehead.

A low hum began slipping over the air between them and after a few moments her gaze met his. Quickly she averted her stare and pulled her hand back. Spinning on her heel, she attempted to walk away but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him, causing her palms to slam into his chest so she could steady herself.

"Klaus, stop," she hissed.

"Hey," he muttered, hands sliding down her waist to rest on the band of bare skin in between her top and shorts.

Fixing him with a long, pointed stare, she sighed. "What?"

Her hair caught the light in a bright, wild halo, and for a second, his focus snagged on how entirely… _innocent_ she looked. A fresh, unembellished, girlish sort of beauty that was at violent odds with the manicured, vixeny vibe he'd always seen at school. The Caroline Forbes he knew was always dolled up, an appearance she always managed to maintain in the mornings after their hook ups, but today he seemed to have caught the 'before' shot. It was… endearing. A dishevelled ring of golden hair, a sleepy scowl, and, his eyes squinted slightly, freckles. She had a small scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

He'd never noticed.

"Thank you," he murmured. "For last night."

She lapsed into a snort. "Geez, don't make a big deal out of it."

But when he dipped his head down to capture her lips with his, her eyes immediately softened, and she let him kiss her for as slow and as long as he wanted.

It wasn't until Katherine cleared her throat that they finally broke apart, the realisation that everyone was watching washing over them. Kai helped Katherine serve the rest of the house breakfast and Klaus pulled Caroline onto his lap at the counter. When their two friends come back into the kitchen they all eat and talk about the night before. Caroline remained in his lap throughout the entirety of breakfast, and although it felt amazing…

It kinda made him nervous.

 **-x-**

 **A/N:** Sorry I've been MIA for a few weeks and this chapter's taken a while, but on the plus side, it's the longest one yet! I super exhausted and haven't had time to proofread, so there's a SUPER strong chance there's a HUGE number of mistakes/typos. I'll go back and edit any mistakes when I'm not sleep-deprived from work and studying, so drop a line about what worked for you/what you liked and I can take that into account moving forwards! THANKS FOR READING!


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